Another study fails to find link between CFS and XMRV virus

Absence of xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus in
UK patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

Harriet C T Groom1, Virginie C Boucherit1, Kerry Makinson2, Edward Randal2, Sarah Baptista2, Suzanne Hagan3, John W Gow3, Frank M Mattes4, Judith Breuer5, Jonathan R Kerr2, Jonathan P Stoye1 and Kate N Bishop*

"The SGUL cohort comprised 142 adult CFS patients and 157 healthy blood donors.
Both groups were aged between 18 and 65, and the male to female ratios were 45:97 (CFS) and 43:114 (blood donors). At the time of sampling, 2003-2008, blood was collected into three tubes (an EDTA blood tube for DNA preparation; a Paxgene tube for RNA preparation and a plain tube for serum preparation from clotted blood).

CFS patients were recruited from clinics in Bristol, Dorset, London, Birmingham, Norfolk and Epsom, and all patients fulfilled diagnostic criteria of Fukuda et al. [9].

Blood samples were taken between 1.5 and 4 years following diagnosis."

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"Results. We have not identified XMRV DNA in any samples by PCR (0/299). Some serum samples showed XMRV neutralising activity (26/565) but only one of these positive sera came from a CFS patient. Most of the positive sera were also able to neutralise MLV particles pseudotyped with envelope proteins from other viruses, including vesicular stomatitis virus, indicating significant cross-reactivity in serological responses. Four positive samples were specific for XMRV."


My PS: Absence of xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus in
UK patients with chronic fatigue syndrome or in UK patients with chronic fatigue

My PS 2: Four positive samples were specific for XMRV ie just Four UK patients with ME/CFS in the study???